What to expect from new coach Travis Steele: 2022-23 Miami RedHawks basketball preview

Kyle Brown, Cincinnati Enquirer
·6 min read

Coming off of a 14-18 season, including an 8-12 record in the Mid-American Conference, this season’s Miami RedHawks basketball team is going to look much different.

First of all, former Xavier head coach Travis Steele takes over for Jack Owens, who went 70-83 in five seasons at Miami.

Xavier head coach Travis Steele looks on from the sideline in the second half of the NCAA Big East Conference championship tournament first round game between the No. 8 Musketeers and the No. 9 Butler Bulldogs at Madison Square Garden on March 9, 2022.
Xavier head coach Travis Steele looks on from the sideline in the second half of the NCAA Big East Conference championship tournament first round game between the No. 8 Musketeers and the No. 9 Butler Bulldogs at Madison Square Garden on March 9, 2022.

Steele, who went 70-50 with the Musketeers, will try to resurrect a RedHawks program that hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2007. Steele led Xavier to a pair of NIT Tournaments, but never made the NCAA.

Only one starter, 5-foot-8 fifth year guard Mekhi Lairy returns. Kamari Williams, a 6-7 forward who transferred in last season from Boston College, started nine games last season and is the only other returning player who averaged double-digits in minutes played.

Miami RedHawks forward Kamari Williams lays in a basket in the first half against the Cincinnati Bearcats, Dec. 1, 2021, at Millett Hall in Oxford.
Miami RedHawks forward Kamari Williams lays in a basket in the first half against the Cincinnati Bearcats, Dec. 1, 2021, at Millett Hall in Oxford.

Three transfers and a five-man freshman class will be counted on to provide production.

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Here are 3 things to know about the 2022-23 Miami RedHawks basketball team:

Mekhi Lairy will provide invaluable leadership

Having played in 118 games and scoring 1,182 career points over a four-year career means Mekhi Lairy will be counted on the be the man for the RedHawks.

Miami RedHawks guard Mekhi Lairy drives to the basket as Cincinnati Bearcats guard Mika Adams-Woods (23) defends in the first half on Dec. 1, 2021, at Millett Hall in Oxford.
Miami RedHawks guard Mekhi Lairy drives to the basket as Cincinnati Bearcats guard Mika Adams-Woods (23) defends in the first half on Dec. 1, 2021, at Millett Hall in Oxford.

He was second on the team in scoring (13.6 points per game) and assists (3.4/per game) last season and led the conference with a .915 free throw percentage.

Kamari Williams, a 6-7 junior forward, scored 6.0 points and grabbed 3.3 rebounds in 18.8 minutes per game last season. He also started nine games, and is the only other player besides Lairy to give the RedHawks a veteran presence.

Newcomers galore for Miami RedHawks

Having to replace four starters isn’t easy. Bringing in a new coach to rebuild a program isn’t easy. When both of those scenarios coincide, it usually means there will be plenty of playing time available.

Miami was able to bring in Anderson Mirambeaux from Cleveland State, Morgan Safford from Wofford and Julian Lewis from William & Mary through the transfer portal.

Cleveland State Vikings forward Anderson Mirambeaux looks to move inside against Xavier Musketeers forward Zach Freemantle in the first half of the NIT First Round game at the Cintas Center on March 15, 2022.
Cleveland State Vikings forward Anderson Mirambeaux looks to move inside against Xavier Musketeers forward Zach Freemantle in the first half of the NIT First Round game at the Cintas Center on March 15, 2022.

Mirambeaux, a 6-8, 305-pounder, saw action in 25 games last season for Cleveland State.

Safford, a Columbus native who went to Bishop Hartley, was on the Southern Conference All-Freshman team in 2020-21. His numbers dipped last season at Wofford, from 9.3 points per game as a freshman to 6.5 and 4.4 rebounds to 3.4.

Lewis played in 32 games, including starting 24, as a freshman at William & Mary last season. He averaged 7.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game en route to making the Colonial Athletic Association All-Rookie Team.

Additionally, Steele was able to ink a five-man freshman class of Ryan Mabrey, Jaquel Morris, Mitchell Rylee (Covington Catholic), Billy Smith and Eli Yofan.

Covington Catholic's Mitchell Rylee, back, blocks a Lyon County shot in the lane at the KHSAA Sweet 16 Quarterfinals at Rupp Arena, March 18, 2022.
Covington Catholic's Mitchell Rylee, back, blocks a Lyon County shot in the lane at the KHSAA Sweet 16 Quarterfinals at Rupp Arena, March 18, 2022.

Miami basketball schedule highlights include trips to Georgia, Indiana and Cincinnati

The RedHawks will have a tough non-conference schedule before the MAC season begins.

Among the home highlights will be visits from Evansville, Marshall and Indiana State.

There will be three marquee road games – at Georgia Nov. 14, vs. Indiana in Indianapolis Nov. 20 and at Cincinnati on Dec. 14.

The RedHawks haven’t played Indiana since the 1994-95 season and haven’t beaten the Hoosiers since Nov. 26, 1983.

The rivalry with UC renewed last season for the first time in 10 years, with the Bearcats escaping with a 59-58 win in Oxford.

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2022-23 Miami University basketball roster

# FULL NAME POS. HT. WT. ACADEMIC YEAR HOMETOWN / HIGH SCHOOL PREVIOUS SCHOOL

0 Javin Etzler F 6-8 206 R-Jr. Convoy, Ohio / Crestview

1 Kamari Williams F 6-7 170 Jr. Sandy Spring, Md. / St. Andrew's Episcopal Boston College

2 Mekhi Lairy G 5-8 145 5th Evansville, Ind. / Evansville Bosse

3 Julian Lewis G 6-6 200 So. Ann Arbor, Mich. / Huron William & Mary

4 Bryson Tatum G 6-4 180 So. Urbana, Ill. / Urbana

5 Mitchell Rylee F 6-8 215 Fr. Fort Mitchell, Ky. / Covington Catholic

11 Billy Smith G 6-7 200 Fr. Indianapolis, Ind. / Brebeuf Jesuit

13 Ryan Mabrey G 6-5 195 Fr. Belmar, N.J. / LaLumiere

15 Jackson Kenyon F 6-8 215 Sr. Deerfield, Ill. / Deerfield

21 Jaquel Morris F 6-8 220 Fr. Floral Park, N.Y. / Eagle Academy II

22 Morgan Safford G 6-5 210 R-Jr. Columbus, Ohio / Bishop Harley Wofford

24 Eli Yofan G 6-2 190 Fr. Pittsburgh, Pa. / Fox Chapel Area

25 Wil Stevens G 6-5 185 Sr. Chicago, Ill. / Brooks School (Mass.)

35 Curtis Harrison IV F 6-7 225 So. Cincinnati, Ohio / Seven Hills/Dohn Prep

45 Anderson Mirambeaux F 6-8 305 Sr. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic / Teays Valley Christian School (W.Va.) Trinity Valley CC/Cleveland State

2022-23 Miami University basketball schedule

Date           Time   At        Opponent                               Location

Nov 7 (Mon)    TBA    Home      Evansville                             Oxford, Ohio

Nov 12 (Sat)   TBA    Home      Goshen College (Ind.)                  Oxford, Ohio

Nov 14 (Mon)   TBA    Away      Georgia                                Athens, Ga.

Nov 17 (Thu)   TBA    Home      Marshall                               Oxford, Ohio

Nov 20 (Sun)   TBA    Neutral   Indiana University                     Indianapolis, Ind.

Nov 26 (Sat)   TBA    Home      Little Rock                            Oxford, Ohio

Nov 29 (Tue)   TBA    Home      Jackson State                          Oxford, Ohio

Dec 3 (Sat)    TBA    Home      Indiana State                          Oxford, Ohio

Dec 11 (Sun)   TBA    Home      Calumet College of St. Joseph (Ind.)   Oxford, Ohio

Dec 14 (Wed)   TBA    Away      Cincinnati                             Cincinnati, Ohio

Dec 17 (Sat)   TBA    Away      Bellarmine                             Louisville, Ky.

Dec 22 (Thu)   TBA    Home      Wright State                           Oxford, Ohio

Dec 29 (Thu)   TBA    Home      Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College        Oxford, Ohio

Jan 3 (Tue)    TBA    Away      Central Michigan                       Mount Pleasant, Mich.

Jan 7 (Sat)    TBA    Home      Kent State                             Oxford, Ohio

Jan 10 (Tue)   TBA    Home      Buffalo                                Oxford, Ohio

Jan 14 (Sat)   TBA    Away      Ball State                             Muncie, Ind.

Jan 17 (Tue)   TBA    Home      Northern Illinois                      Oxford, Ohio

Jan 21 (Sat)   TBA    Away      Bowling Green                          Bowling Green, Ohio

Jan 24 (Tue)   TBA    Away      Akron                                  Akron, Ohio

Jan 28 (Sat)   TBA    Home      Eastern Michigan                       Oxford, Ohio

Jan 31 (Tue)   TBA    Home      Toledo                                 Oxford, Ohio

Feb 4 (Sat)    TBA    Away      Ohio                                   Athens, Ohio

Feb 7 (Tue)    TBA    Home      Western Michigan                       Oxford, Ohio

Feb 11 (Sat)   TBA    Home      Central Michigan                       Oxford, Ohio

Feb 14 (Tue)   TBA    Away      Toledo                                 Toledo, Ohio

Feb 18 (Sat)   TBA    Away      Northern Illinois                      DeKalb, Ill.

Feb 21 (Tue)   TBA    Home      Bowling Green                          Oxford, Ohio

Feb 25 (Sat)   TBA    Home      Ohio                                   Oxford, Ohio

Feb 28 (Tue)   TBA    Away      Western Michigan                       Kalamazoo, Mich.

Mar 3 (Fri)    TBA    Away      Buffalo                                Buffalo, NY

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Miami University basketball: What to look for in 2022-23 season